Quote Of The Day...And Jesus On A Dinosaur

"I have concluded through careful empirical analysis and much thought that somebody is looking out for me, keeping track of what I think about things, forgiving me when I do less than I ought.  Giving me strength to shoot for more than I think I'm capable of.  I believe that they know everything that I do and think, and they still love me.  And, I have concluded, after careful consideration, that this person keeping score is me."

- Mythbusters host Adam Savage, speaking at the Reason Rally in Washington D.C.

Another wonderful quote:

"I believe that rules do not make us moral.  Loving each other makes us moral."

Here is video of his speech, Saturday.  It was quite passionate and inspirational.  Keep an eye out for Jesus riding a dinosaur.  I'm serious.



This is another video of his speech, in much better quality (sans dinosaur).

"The Atheist Bitchslap"

Kate Smurthwaite is a stand up comic and political activist.  Watch as she obliterates her religious counterparts on a British television program.

Discriminatory Christian Advertisement Of The Day

Charlie Whittington, owner of Kwik Kar Lube & Service in Plano, Texas, has one hell of a deal for you.  (pun intended)  Come into his location, recite John 3:16, and get an oil change, which normally costs $34.99, for $19.99.  If you happen to be a Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or an Atheist customer - Google it.  Otherwise, it sucks to be you.  Seriously.

Offensive?  Absolutely.  Illegal?  Not in Texas.  As Kwik Kar Lube is a "privately owned business", Charlie has the right to refuse service to anyone, for any reason.  So tomorrow, he could theoretically have an ad giving free oil changes for married, white, heterosexual Christian men only. 

Whittington's reasoning is sound behind the ad, saying "I'm not making you do anything, and I'm tired of people making me do something."  Makes complete sense from someone that misspelled "Quick" and "Car" to me.

In case you aren't familiar with John 3:16, it's a favorite of Christians worldwide.  It says:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life $15 off their next oil change."

Once, just once, I would like to see an atheist alternative to this.  Show me an atheist owned business, where they offer $20 off a service if you come in and curse god.  If anyone has seen an example of this, please... PLEASE...forward it to me.  Thank you.

Oh, one last thing...  One of my biggest pet peeves.  I absolutely hate when I see little "Jesus fishes" in business ads.  It's nothing but a way for businesses to swindle money out of fellow "Christians".  Let's be honest.  Does it mean that they follow Christian business practices?  Hell no.  It means, "Give me your money instead of my heathen competitor".  What a fucking joke.

Thanks to Patheos for the pic.

Tweet Of The Day

I just realized...this was when I became an Atheist.

Goodnight.

Photo Of The Day

Cool Blog Alert: 'The Day I Became An Atheist'

Over the last year, there have been a number of blogs that have looked at the world from a different perspective. One told the stories of gay and lesbian individuals that knew as children of their sexual orientation.  Another proved that your parents were pretty cool before you came along.

A new website has debuted this week in the same vein, but with a decidedly more serious tone.  From author Kyria Abrahams comes 'The Day I Became an Atheist'.  I must admit, it's a compelling read.

The blog is comprised primarily of reader submissions.  So far, the majority of them are rather heartbreaking.  I encourage you to read the riveting, powerful, and often times, emotional stories from people all over the world.  Kyria's post for example:

“My ex-boyfriend assaulted me by slamming a balled fist into either side of my head. He could have killed me, but thankfully, all I got was a lousy concussion. I lost two jobs and was left with thousands of dollars in legal and hospital bills. I was also unable to say goodbye to my dying father. The people around me said everything happens for a reason and I just didn’t see God’s plan. Apparently God’s plan was for my ex to get away with it. One year later, and I challenge anyone to find a single Godly thing that came out of that incident.”

If you would like to contribute your own story for the blog, you can submit it through the blog directly, or email Kyria at kyriaabrahams@gmail.com.  We would all like to hear it.  Kyria's latest book is called I'm Perfect, You're Doomed: Tales from a Jehovah's Witness Upbringing.  You can purchase it on Amazon by clicking on the link above.

I'm Smarter Than The Average Atheist

....and blow Christians away with my knowledge.  Yesterday, I posted a story about a new Pew survey testing American's knowledge of religion.  Today, the Christian Science Monitor has published the 32 questions the were asked in the survey.  According to the study, atheists scored higher than any other religious affiliation with an average score of 20.9 correct answers.  The average participant scored 16 out of 32 correct.

I took the test earlier today and had a score of 29.  Not bad, considering I was forbidden to investigate any other religions growing up.

Survey: Atheists Know Most About Religion

A survey from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life shows that atheists and agnostics know more about religion than Christians.  The study found that atheists and agnostics tend to be generally well educated, and that the most knowledgeable people were also the best educated.  However, atheists and agnostics outperformed equally educated Christians in the survey.

60% of Protestants did not know that Martin Luther was the driving force behind the Protestant Reformation.  40% of Catholics didn't understand the symbolism of holy Communion.  Talk about "blind faith".  However, eight in ten surveyed knew that Mother Teresa was Catholic, and seven in ten knew that Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt.  Surprisingly, Mormons were the most knowledgeable regarding the New Testament.

The survey also tested people's knowledge in general.  Can you believe 4% of people actually said that Stephen King wrote Moby Dick?

The Pot Calls The Kettle Black

In the latest episode of Awake!(always thought the exclamation point was overdoing it), Jehovah's Witnesses target atheists for not keeping their opinions to themselves. After years of knocking on our doors and trying to start awkward, impromptu religious conversations with coworkers and family members, Witnesses take issue with so called "new atheists". From the first paragraph of the magazine:

A new group of atheists has arisen in society.
Called the new atheists, they are
not content to keep their views to themselves.
Rather, they are on a crusade, “actively, angrily,
passionately trying to persuade the religious
to their point of view,” wrote columnist
Richard Bernstein. Even agnostics are in
their sights, for these new atheists allow no
room for doubt. To them, there simply is no
God. End of story.

Isn't it ironic? Don't you think? The same people that have been shoving their religion down our throats for decades would rather have us atheists keep our opinions to ourselves. I'll be honest: I didn't read the rest of the article. Too much hypocrisy to try to take in before lunch.